MAKE ME WANNA HOLLER
Mark 10:46-52
Regina Langley

SERMON:

              Listen               See               Listen                See
Jesus   the disciples    the crowd on their way to Jerusalem        Mothers talking
to their daughters       Fathers calling to their sons       Little girls laughing
Little boys running        People exchanging stories with laughter and tears
Grandmothers and grandfathers        Singing     celebration     dancing
expectation anticipation    anxiety        It's in the air        They are on their way to Jerusalem.        Baskets of food        Fruits Breads      Strange smells
Cows     sheep     goats    turtledoves    donkeys       It is hot       It is dusty
People running to join the crowd       Some people dropping off along the way       
Friends acknowledging friends

              Listen               See               Listen                See

Two summers ago I was an intern in Ghana, West Africa for 10 weeks. Each year in July they have a great celebration where the chief of each village is honored. They call it the Donba—people from many of the villages in the Northern region come together and celebrate their chief. People walk and ride horses for miles to be a part of this grand occasion. I was sitting in my room at the school where I was studying and learning the native language when I heard all this commotion pass my window. At first I ignored it because I had grown accustomed to hearing lots of noise during my first weeks in this foreign country. At all times of the morning and at all times of the night I could hear in the distance the prayers coming from the Muslim Mosque. I could hear in the distance early evening celebrations of marriages, funerals, and parties. So the noise was something I had gotten use to. But trying to practice a foreign language in the midst of so much excitement wasn’t easy. No, it wasn’t easy. I could hear the drumming. I could hear the parade of people passing by. I got up and went to the gate and I joined the crowd. There were children everywhere. Women dressed in beautiful dresses. Men dressed in beautiful capes. And dust—everywhere. When you are in a crowd of more than a thousand people it is difficult to really see anything. But I could hear all the laughter. I was listening for familiar words as people were speaking their native languages. I could hear the galloping of the horses. I couldn’t see for miles in front of me. But I could hear the excitement of the celebration. After walking about a mile with the crowd we stopped at one of the designated villages. I heard someone calling out to me “sillimenga, sillimenga” which stands for white person. In Ghana, there is no distinction of black and white. If you are a foreigner you are called sillimenga. And since I was a sillimenga, I was given a seat of honor at the celebration. And oh, what a celebration it was. Men dancing, young boys playing flutes and drums, women singing and placing money on the men’s forehead to let them know they had it going on. What a celebration!!! It was hot and dust was everywhere. But in the midst of so much celebrating—I could hear young women in the background calling out in a very high pitched voice—Ice Ice Ice. They were selling cold water. Ice Ice Ice. Within weeks the sound of selling ICE was a familiar sound. No matter where I was—in the market, in my room, in the car I knew that sound. I knew that selling ICE was one of the ways these young women supported themselves. It was their livelihood.

In our text this morning we have the story of a blind beggar sitting. Because he is blind listening is critical to his occupation. Begging is his livelihood. Whenever he heard footsteps he would prepare his begging call—Somebody help me. I need money for food. Can you spare a little change? He is a beggar and blind—totally depended on others for help. There is nothing in our text that tells us how blind Bartimaeus got to the side of this road. The road that leads to Jerusalem. Maybe some of his friends who joined the crowd left him there. Maybe his father dropped him off. He is the son of Timaeus. Nevertheless, this would be a great place to have a little hustle going. People going in and people coming out of Jericho. If he missed them coming in, he could catch them coming out.

As Jesus, the disciples and the crowd were leaving Jericho, they encountered him. Since Jesus was ahead of the crowd he would see him first. Just imagine Jesus using the sight of a blind beggar as an opportunity to tell his disciples for the third time how he must suffer and die. Maybe Jesus is frustrated, tired and fed up with his disciples’ inability to see what he has been telling them all along the way. I don’t know if blind Bartimeaus heard it was Jesus because those in the crowd when they heard him teach with such authority shouted Jesus or maybe it was those who were joining the crowd yelling to their friends---Jesus. Just maybe blind Bartimeaus heard Jesus shout at his disciples ---”SEE, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; they will mock him, and spit upon him; and after three days he will rise again.”

Maybe it is late in the day and blind Bartimaeus has been sitting there all day and he has only been able to collect a small amount of money for his family. Just maybe he was so tired that he didn’t hear anything else Jesus said except SEE and thought Jesus was talking to him and he began telling his story in the words of the popular hit by the late songwriter Marvin Gaye
Rockets, moon shots
Spend it on the have nots
Money, I make it
Fore I see it you take it
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
This ain’t living, nah, This ain’t living
Make me wanna holler, Jesus, son of David, Have mercy on me

Many sternly ordered him to be quiet. Could it be, that those trying to silence him were those who Jesus had called to follow him. Could it be, that they were those who Jesus was teaching how to cast out demons, could it be, that they were those who Jesus was training how to preach the gospel. Could it be, that they were those who were with Jesus when he feed the four thousand. Could it be that they were those Jesus had shown how placing saliva on blind eyes restores sight. Could it be that they are YOU and ME

But the attempts to silence him made him intensify his cry for help
Inflation no chance
To increase finance
Bills pile up sky high
Place me here to die
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Make me wanna holler
The way they do my life
Hang up, let downs
Bad breaks, set backs
Natural fact is
I can’t pay my taxes
Make me wanna holler
And throw up both my hands
Makes me wanna holler
Throw up both of my hands, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me
Jesus, son of David have mercy on me
I don’t know whether it was blind Bartimeuas’ helpless cry or how some in the crowd responded to him but blind Bartimeaus got Jesus’ attention. And Jesus called blind Bartimaeus to him. The very ones who tried to keep him from getting the attention of Jesus are the same ones that had to help him to Jesus.

I am reminded of a homeless man who slept outside my office building on 13th and Eye Streets in downtown Washington, D.C. Every morning I would arrive at my office and find him there sleeping under his blanket. As long as he didn’t bother me, I didn’t bother him. He always was always there. I never saw his face. Then one morning as I was approaching the building I saw that his blanket was gone. Just as I approached the doors he turned over and my eyes met his eyes. I was afraid to move. I stood there waiting to see what he was going to do. The more I looked at him the more he looked at me. He was as much afraid of me as I was of him. He was dirty. His shoes were worn out. His hair was matted. And he smelled. But in his eyes I saw a sparkle. A sparkle that said, I am somebody’s son. A sparkle that said I am a person. A sparkle that said, I might be homeless but I have life. I might be homeless but I have hope. Standing there I could feel myself being overcome with amazement. I felt myself tearing up. I had never seen anyone’s eyes as clear as I saw this man’s eyes. Standing there looking at him Finally I broke the silence and asked him his name. And for the longest time he would not say a word. Then I asked him again and he told me his name was Charles. I stayed there and talked to Charles for about 5 minutes. I left Charles reached my office, sat down at my desk and cried. I cried because I was convicted that I worked for an organization that tried to model Jesus’ teaching regarding feeding those who are hungry, giving water to those who are thirsty, clothing those who are naked, and visiting those who were in prison. But every morning I came to my office and failed to see one of Jesus’ own right in front of me.

Yes, blind Bartimaeus heard Jesus and responded. He responded by saying, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” And Jesus hearing blind Bartimaeus responded by stopping and asking him what did he want. But Jesus knew what blind Bartimaeus wanted and needed before he asked. Blind Bartimaeus said, Teacher, let me see again. Everytime we hear Jesus it should make us wanna holler “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus let us see those you have place in our midst to minister to. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me,” when we try to silence those who are reaching out to you. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me” every time we are silent in the face of injustices. “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.” Every time we refuse to see the wrongs in our society. Everytime we hear Jesus in our midst it should make us wanna holler, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy upon me.” WE wanna see. AMEN

Regina Langley SBN 272
Box 5204
Princeton, New Jersey 08543